Carriage-top



(No Model.) 7 M. F. ELDRIDGE.

OARRIAGBTOP'. No. 372,367. Patented Nov. 1, 1887.

mu If N. PETERS, Pholo-Eitlwgnpher. wanhingim. n. c.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

MORRIS F. ELDRIDGE, TOLEDO, OHIO.

CARRIAGE-TOP.

SPECIFICATIONiorming part of Letters Patent No.'3'72,367, dated November 1, 1887.

i Application filed February 14, 1887-. Serial No. 227,754. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, MoRRIs F. E'LDRIDGE, a citizen of the United States,residing at Toledo, in the county of Lucas and State of Ohio, have invented new and useful Improvements in Carriage Tops, of which the following is a speci-I fication.

My invention relates to improvements in carriage-tops, such as are designed to be let down and put up when desired, constructed of bows and held in position byjointed bracerods attached to the top of the seat, and provided with an outside covering and an inside lining; and the objects of my improvements are to provide a simple, cheap, durable, and easily-operated device to support the upperportion of the front bow, so that the lower portion of the front bow may be taken away to make it convenient to get in and out of the ordinary top-carriage, and to make this support so that it folds up easily with the letting down of the top. I attain these objects by the mechanism illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure 1 is a side elevation of a carriage bed and top with my device attached to it, showing the top up and down. Fig. 2 is a group of views showing the triple-jointed hinge-support, right and left, opened and closed.

Similarletters refer to similar parts throughout' the several views.

, A is an ordinary carriage-bed.

B is an ordinary carriagetop, consisting of its various parts, the bows b b b, jointed brace or stay rods 0 and D, the covering 6 e, the lining f, and the brace pivot-posts d d, all arranged substantially after the manner and in accordance with the present style of the construction of carriage-tops.

My invention consists in the taking away of the lower portion of the front bow, k, on each side, (represented bydotted lines,) and supporting the remaining upper portion of the front bow and operating it by a triplejointed bracket-hinge, H H made right and left to suit each side of the top, in which hinge No. 1 is secured'to the center bow substantially by means of screws, bolts, or rivets.

5o Hinge No.3 is secured by screws, rivets, or

bolts to the front bow, and hinge No. 2-the center one---is a raised hinge, which folds inward and retains the plates at a snflicient distance from each other to allow the leather or other material of the cover to fold between them and not be cramped short, so as to injure it in use; also, I is a ribbon of steel or a strong and substantial piece of webbing or girthing, which is secured to the back bow at one end and passes under a loop, i, on the center bow, through the openings in the plates of the brackethinge H, thus passing around the center hinge, No. 2, as shown in center view of group, Fig. 2, the other end of which" is secured to the front bow, the whole being made firm when the top is up in position for use. By means of this stay I great stiffness and firmness are given to the center hinge, 'No. 2, of the bracket H, in which construction and operationI get the combined action of the jointed brace or stay rods 0 and D to support this triple-jointed bracket-hinge H and the front bow of the top 13. WVhen the top is down, it assumes the position shown also in the right of Fig. 1 connected by broken lines.

In some cases, for the sake of cheapness, I design to do away with the front jointed stayrod, D, and when I want the front and back sections of thetop to work independent of each other the ribbon or webbing I is fastened securely on the center bow, and in case a ribbon of steel is used it is covered to prevent its chafing the other parts.

In the construction of the triple-jointed bracket-hinges H H I design to have the hinges separate and secure them to the plates, or have them cast solid on the plates. The front bow from the ends up around the curves is plated in a substantial manner to prevent on the side of the seat, and when desired may be folded back on the inside and buttoned at the top, leaving the desired part of the side clear.

Having described my invention and its relation to thepresent construction of carriagelOC tOpS,W118,l3I0l2ti1H as my invention, and desire In testimony whereof I have hereunto set to secure by Letters Patent, ismy hand in the presence of two subscribing [O In a carriage-top support, the combination, witnesses with the bows I) Z) Z) and jointed stay-rod O, of

f v l w l 5 the open brackets H H, hinged to the bows MORRIS ELDRIDGD' b b b and together by a raised hinge, and the \Vitnesses: stay I and loop 2', all snbstantiall y as described J OSEPII N. CLOUSE,

and set forth. WILLIAM H. TUCKER. 

